Author: natural budz

It’s a typical Wednesday evening. After a long run, Andrew*, who works in digital media in New York City, is following his standard post-run routine. Like most runners, he’ll quickly cool down, stretch, drink water, and maybe grab a post-workout snack. Unlike many runners, he’ll also smoke pot.
The avid runner and cyclist, whose racing résumé includes the Umstead 100 Ultra, typically lights up immediately before his athletic activities and usually within an hour or two post-sweat session.
Andrew isn’t alone in his habit—in fact, combining cannabis and sport has become an underground trend in distance-running culture. Ultra runners such as Avery Collins and Jen Shelton have admitted to running under the influence of marijuana. And former professional runner Chris Barnicle, a cannabis advocate living in Los Angeles, calls himself the “world’s fastest stoner”...

No doubt, you’ve heard of Kilimanjaro or Afghan Kush, but did you know they are considered Landrace strains? Have you ever wondered what exactly a Landrace strain is, where they came from, and why they are so rare?
Man’s kinship with cannabis is documented as far back as 2900 B.C. In biblical days, cannabis grew wild in its native habitat where growers weren’t doing a lot of crossbreeding. Cannabis strains tended to be what today we call Landrace strains. Broadly speaking, a Landrace is a pure cannabis strain cultivated in its natural environment which has never been crossbred with another variety.
Landrace strains, having grown wild and indigenously over the years throughout various regions in the world with virtually no variations from one plant to another, these strains maintain remarkable...

Meditation 101: Practices, Postures, and Pretty Much Everything In Between
April 28, 2018
“I am incapable of meditating,” admitted a friend of mine just the other day. “It ends up being just me silently agonizing over my to-do list.”
I totally get it; meditation is difficult. It’s definitely not a practice you’ll excel at right away. Just like you can’t pick up a golf club for the first time and expect to make it to the Masters Tournament next year and get that green jacket.
Okay, maybe that’s exaggerating, but you get the picture. The art of meditation can take years to learn, and you may never achieve perfect bliss, but it’s all about the practice.
And just like golf may not be your sport, certain styles of meditation may not...

A primary joy that comes from growing cannabis yourself is that you get to pick the genetics that interest you. However, not all strains are created equal and depending on the genetics, the plant you want to grow could be a poor choice for your garden. Indicas, sativas, and the many hybrid strains in between all grow differently, take varying times to flower, and produce a different end product.
We’ve already covered the main differences in cannabis types, so what’s there to know about growing each?
Growing Indica Cannabis Strains
Traits of a typical indica cannabis plant:
Shorter flowering time
High yields
Effects: Sedating, relaxing
Symptom Relief: Anxiety, insomnia, pain, muscle spasms
Morphology: Short, bushy, broader leaves
Because of indica’s shorter flowering periods and higher yields, they have always been...

Have you ever been confused about the endocannabinoid system? Educate yourself. This guide will tell you everything you need to know.
ANNA WILCOX
JUL 28, 2016
Photo credit
Have you ever wondered how THC works? Well, it just-so-happens to be a similar shape to a compound our bodies create naturally. Thanks to its shape, THC is able to tap into a network in our bodies called the endocannabinoid system. It’s this ability that gives THC it’s psychoactive effects. But, what is the endocannabinoid system and what does it do? To help you understand, we’ve created a handy guide to the endocannabinoid system for dummies.
What is the endocannabinoid system (ECS)?
Photo credit
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) refers to a collection of cell receptors and corresponding molecules. You can think of cell receptors like little...

THCA, or tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, is a cannabis compound that is beginning to demonstrate immense therapeutic potential despite the infancy of its research. You’ve heard of THC, and while they may sound similar, THCA actually has very different properties. Unlike THC, THCA is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in raw and live cannabis. As the plant dries, THCA slowly converts to THC. Heat expedites this conversion in a process known as decarboxylation, a fancy word that describes what happens when you smoke or vaporize flower.
If you’ve purchased lab-tested cannabis, you may notice that the most abundant cannabinoid is either THC or THCA, either of which can stretch between 10-20% on average. While THCA is the more accurate label for flower that hasn’t been decarboxylated, they essentially mean the same thing if you assume the consumer intends on...

A boy with Cerebral Palsy is helped through physical therapy.
People with certain neurological disorders or trauma often suffer from spasticity, which causes painful muscle spasms. Medical marijuana has been shown to help alleviate symptoms in patients with this debilitating condition.
What is Spasticity?
Spasticity is a complication of many neurological illnesses, including multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke and neurological trauma like spinal cord injuries. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) says spasticity is caused by damage to the portion of the brain or spinal cord that's in charge of voluntary movement, leading to painful symptoms, including:
Involuntary muscle spasms and movements
Increased muscle tone
Hyperactive reflexes
Stiff or tight muscles
Inhibited movement and speech
The AANS estimates that 12 million people worldwide suffer from spasticity. For many, the symptoms may be...

Trichomes give cannabis its unique characteristics. Most importantly, they play a key role in the psychoactive effects of marijuana.
You know those sticky little crystals that cover cannabis nugs? They’re called trichomes, and their function is vital to weed. These little structures protect the plant from UV damage. They also play a crucial role in cannabis’s psychoactive effects. In fact, without them, we’d have no reason to consume weed.
Many users associate visible trichome crystals with higher quality and increased potency. While that assumption is accurate, it’s also not quite as simple as that. In this article, we’ll go into the details and give you everything you need to know about trichomes.
What Is A Trichome?
A trichome is a small resin gland found on cannabis flowers and leaves. If...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Canada gets the headlines for its plan to legalize marijuana nationwide in 2018. So does anti-marijuana rhetoric from some officials in the Trump Administration.
Meanwhile, in the South American country of Uruguay, the sale and possession of marijuana has been legal since last July. Citizens there can grow their own marijuana and buy it over the counter without fear of arrest. So far, about the only major complaint about the law is that it doesn’t go far enough.
Related: Study Suggests Legal Pot Would Make Border Safer Than a Massive Wall
Crime Rate Drop
The most eye-popping result from Uruguay’s legal marijuana market has been the plunge in crime. Drug-related crime has dropped 20 percent in the country since marijuana became legal in 2017, according to Latin American news service...